


Say something loving

by ClaraCivry (Kat_Of_Dresden)



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Office, Fake Dating, Fake/Pretend Relationship, M/M, just love this trope
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-15
Updated: 2018-07-15
Packaged: 2019-06-11 00:40:20
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,701
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15303642
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kat_Of_Dresden/pseuds/ClaraCivry
Summary: Steve needs a flashy date to a corporate dinner, to help Bucky and get rid of his conservative prude guy reputation.And he knows just the guy for the job.Steve/Loki fake dating office au





	Say something loving

Mar & Vel associated advertising was a medium sized company, with several department and the reputation of being the best in terms of originality. They had the reputation of being the place for original ads, and a stood up for their creative team, for their invention. They were called many thing, the most common one being simply peculiar.

And paculiar they were: nearly every employee had a nickname and some oddity that made them irreplaceable, important for the whole thing in a way. They had a distinct personality, a distinct skill set and they worked well in teams. That was distinguished Mar & Vel from other companies.

Steve, a team manager nicknamed “the Captain” had been working there for a few years, after some time in the army when he saw horrors. He Now he wanted to be a more regular citizen, pay the bills, help out his friends. And when he wanted to help even more people, he volunteered and was part of several NGOs. But no more army – he was a rogue now. Especially after what they'd done to Bucky.

His best friend since childhood, Bucky had been part of a deep cover program, very secret, very black ops. They... did bad things to him, nearly made him forget who he was, use him for the most terrible ends. Steve managed to get him out and got him a small job in the company, and he'd risen through the ranks until becoming one of the heads of the casting department. After so long being someone else, he'd become very good at noticing good and bad acting.

But today Bucky was anxious, and Steve, as usual, wanted to help.

“I'm just uncomfortable. You know how long it took to get where I am now, and to be invited to a corporate dinner to boot. Bosses and team leaders only, it's such a scary thing. What if Sam does or says something he shouldn't? Sam can be... abrassive, sometimes. Too...honest.”

“I'm sure he'll be on his best behaviour if you ask him”

“It's not just that. We'll be the only gay couple there and you know that will make us stand out more and it will only take only poor taste joke for Sam to snap...”

Steve thought about it. They needed something that would distract distract everyone else from Sam and Bucky, something that would make them say, “well, at least they are not _that_ kind of gays”. That way, the two ofthem wouldn't be the only gays, but the better gays. Uhmmmm. Surely there was a way for him to help his friend. Steve thought about with his legendary tactician mind and came up with something.

“I'm going too. What if I went with a guy that made Sam look like an innocent little lamb?”

“Is that possible?”

“Sure it is! Sam is not so bad, at least not on the outside. We need someone flashy and in your face, very artsy and wearing make up in his face... What about that brother of Thor's who works in the art department? ”

“Loki? Isn't he a felon?”

 _And they've only caught me in like the exploits I wished to be caught,_ Loki would say, with that silky voice of his and made you feel somewhere between scared and turned on and generally like you didn't know what to do with yourself.

He was a really sketchy character, like a malevolent cat, who broke thing just to see the face of the people whe he did it. He had many nicknames, ( trickster, liesmith, god of chaos) and a reputation for being voluble and dangerous. But he had good ideas, and it they were going to continue beating the competition they needed his... edge.

“He is, that's perfect! And Sam is a veteran! It will make you guys look like the good gays in comparison. Think about it, Buck, I'm bi, I'm not even properly gay, you'll look awesome next to us.”

“You would do that for me? He seems... a handful.”

“I kind of want to shut up all those guys from my department who call me a prude and a loner. Two birds with one stone, you know? And my own boss lady will be over the moon with my felon artsy boyfriend, you know how she's always looking for new things, inspiration.”

“If you say so...”

And so Steve went to look for Loki and ask him out (but not really ask him out, just fake ask him out, you know, for Bucky, of course, the fact that he'd chose him for this plan had nothing to do with all the times he'd been ogling the guy on a presentation). Anyone else he would have been doubtful about asking, and considered the fact that they may not agree. But Loki... there was something odd about the guy, something unhinged. Something that told him that deceit like that was just his cup of tea.

He decided to go to the guy's office that same afternoon even if there was still a month until the dinner, thinking that if this guy was going to pretended to be his boyfriend, he should probably get to know him a bit better. Also, it was a fairly sensitive and odd request, and he wanted to make it face to face.

Loki was on his office – that was full of paintings to the top. Loki did three types of paintings: artwork for the company, something that looked like art forgeries (but no one asked – if you asked about the trickster's side businesses you may end up sacked for some unlikely reason) and his own original art.

They had known each other through Loki's brother, who'd played football with Steve once upon a time, but not too well. A couple of hellos and goodbyes and someone telling him to be careful, that Loki was dangerous. Then he started worked i their company and they had exchanged more hellos. Not enough to go on if they were going to pretend they were intimate.

The door of the office opened automatically and Steve came in. He was a bit overwhelmed: all the light, the colours, the art, the music on he background. Loki was in front of a big window, painting something for a perfume commercial.

"This is good." Steve said as a greeting, slightly mesmerised by the hyperreality and feeling of free fall that came from one of the paintings in the room, one of the Loki originals. Something that looked like outer space...but an unfriendly outer space. An outer space that was devouring you. "What do you call it?"

"The void." Loki's voice came from the other side of the room. "You know those dreams about falling that waken you? I never wake, they never end for me. Even awake, I am falling forever."

So poetic. And dramatic. This guy was perfect for what Steve wanted to do. Loki put down his brush and walked towards Steve.

"To what do I owe the pleasure, Rogers?"

Steve didn't really now how to put this delicately... better to get to the point.He'd never been too big a fan of beating around the bush.

"Well, there's this office dinner that's kind of a big deal and... wow. Ice. You made this one too? What's the name?" He kept getting sidetracked by the art. It was good art.

"I call it realm of frost. Ice and outer space are obsessions of mine, as you may see." This was good, having things in common, if they were going to pretend to be together. Steve was also Do you paint, Rogers? You have a good eye."

"I sketch, but I wouldn't call it art. This is art."

"Would like to see those sketches sometime. Art can tell you a lot about someone."

Yes, it could. And having someone to talk about art was something Steve had missed. It also gave them something to talk about if the situation turned too awkward. How did you start painting, etc. This was good. An unexpected upside to his deviant little plan.

"About the dinner, the issue is, you know my friend Bucky?"

"Barnes? Yeah, we've worked together a couple of times. I do like him and his intensity, but I don't think the feeling is mutual."

Not surprising. Very few people liked Loki, unlike his brother, Thor, who was easily the most well-liked person in the company, and a close friend of Steve's direct superior, simply called by everyone "the Valkyrie". Steve understood, but didn't share their dislike. Maybe because so far he'd never been on the wrong side of Loki's antics, or maybe because he liked art more than the others.

"The thing is, he's worried that he'll stand out too much, with his very opinionated boyfriend, so I told him that maybe I could help by you know, being even more flashy than them. But I do not have anything flashy to bring as a date, and I thought that maybe..."

"You could bring me and pretend that we're dating?"

"Exactly! Wow, I thought that would be harder."

Loki smiled a mischievous smile.

"Sure. As long as you do the same for me in my brother's engagement dinner."

Well, that was easy, Steve thought, and tried not to smile too much. He was going to have a lot of fun, show off with an artistic date and help Bucky all at the same time. This plan seemed to have no disadvantages.

Well, except for the one where he had to lie to practically everybody he knew, listen to everyone tell him he deserved better and then defend a relationship that even exist, and face all the judgement of people and all those questions of "but I thought you liked women" and "You're gay now", and all the people telling him and bisexuality was not a thing and all the people telling him that they thought he was better than that, and the fact that he would have to kiss and caress a near stranger, and the fact that Loki could have a myriad of dark motives for wanting to do this, and....

Maybe he hadn't thought this plan all the way through.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Hope you liked!
> 
> Title from a song by The xx. May or may not be deleted in shame like the last one. 
> 
> If you liked, comment???


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